AUS Women’s Basketball Preview: Huskies aim to carry on after Colley

Saint Mary’s will also start the AUS basketball season without injured Coward

Saint Mary’s Huskies’ Laura Langille, shown against Laurentian in October, will be one of the key players for the defending AUS champions in 2014-15. (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff)

University players come and go. That’s how it is.

But it’s fair to say the Saint Mary’s Huskies have never had to replace a player like Justine Colley. That’s because she’s one of a kind.

There will be no pity party for Scott Munro’s Huskies. They went 22-0 in the AUS last year — a first for the women’s basketball conference — and only lost once all season, that coming in the CIS gold-medal game against Windsor.

East Preston’s Colley, sublime in a national semifinal win over Saskatchewan, capped her career with a second straight CIS player of the year award. She left as the all-time leading scorer in the women’s game.

The regular season begins this weekend. The Huskies begin defence of their championship Saturday night at home against St. Francis Xavier.

Colley would have been irreplaceable at best, but the Huskies have also lost her all-Canadian teammate Rachelle Coward. Cherry Brook’s Coward broke her ankle during training camp.

Colley and Coward, teammates on minor teams growing up, combined for 40 points per game last year. They were the top two scorers in the league.

“We will have to do our scoring much more by committee early this year,” said Munro, who hopes to get Coward back before the end of the season. “I think we do have key people with experience in the positions we need to remain a solid contender.

“We will have to defend well and limit teams second chances rebounding wise to give us an opportunity to win each night, in what should be a very competitive AUS this year.”

There is some quality veteran talent on the Huskies led by Laura Langille and Angelina Carvery. Katrina Murrell, Carlie Nugent and Alexandra Smye were also contributors a year ago.

“We are a small team this year but we hope to make up for that in our speed and fitness while always having a focus on rebounding at both ends,” said head coach Anna Stammberger.

St. Francis Xavier X-Women

Lia St Pierre, now a graduate assistant coach with the team, Rebecca Sheehan and Vanessa Pickard were all pivotal players for Augy Jones’s team, although Pickard, the former CIS rookie of the year, didn’t finish the year in uniform.

“Our players are still learning what it takes to become a competitive CIS team,” said Greenlaw. “We are working daily to develop fundamental habits, to consistently bring enough discipline, intensity, effort, poise, concentration and competitive fire to give ourselves a chance to compete. We aren’t there yet. We will keep working.”